NBA Starting Five: Saturday, March 12th
The Starting 5 Series will provide Grinders a quick look at the day’s top positional plays, analyzed through the lens of our Daily Research Tools.Today, we’ll take a look at the Defense vs. Position 3-Week sheet to give us a look at what players might be in favorable matchups tonight. I always like to look at 3-week averages, because there are so many injuries and rotation moves throughout the season.
It’s a fun nine game Saturday slate, so let’s get it going! Salaries for today are taken from FanDuel.
Point Guard – Emmanuel Mudiay – $6,200
If you think Phoenix will keep the game close against the Warriors, Curry has an excellent matchup tonight. I try to roster Curry when I think he’s going to get 33+ minutes, and I just don’t see that happening tonight. The Magic point guards are in a good spot as well, and if Payton sits again, I like the value of a guy like Watson. Mudiay has strung together five straight good games, and has really cut down the number of turnovers in this stretch. It’s resulted in good fantasy games, and five straight games with at least 31 minutes. This game is sitting at a 213 total, and the Nuggets are favored at home tonight. Washington is allowing the sixth most fantasy points to point guards over the last three weeks, and playing at a very high pace. Mudiay is one of my favorite GPP options tonight.
Shooting Guard – Victor Oladipo – $7,000
Identifying plus situations will make you a profitable DFS player over time. Without Vuc, and Payton questionable, this is a great situation for Oladipo. Portland struggles to defend guards, and Oladipo will see a plus matchup playing point or shooting guard.
As a Magic fan, I may be bias, but Oladipo has been a different player since the Tobias Harris trade. He’s been playing better on both sides of the court, and he’s been playing with a ton of energy. He comes in with three straight games over 35 fantasy points, and has at least 30 fantasy points in six of his last nine games. He’s a guy that I like for optimal lineups tonight, and I think he’s in play in all formats.
Small Forward – Nicolas Batum – $6,900
If you want to spend up, Antetokounmpo is in a great spot tonight, but his price is where it should be. I like the idea of going down to a guy like Batum, and I think he has solid upside in this matchup. Houston has struggled against wing players all season, and they’re allowing the fifth most fantasy points to opposing small forwards over the last three weeks. Batum has played at least 37 minutes in five straight games, and looks to be a safe option tonight.
Power Forward – LaMarcus Aldridge – $8,000
This is going to be one of the best games on the night. It features two of the best teams in the West, and a Thunder team that has a lot to prove. It’s rare to see the Spurs in a 210 total, and I think that makes them a team to look at tonight. I always worry about being popped, but it’s hard to overlook the success of LMA lately. He comes in with six straight games of at least 37 fantasy points, and has an excellent matchup tonight. He only scored 20 fantasy points in October against the Thunder, and I’m hoping this will scare some people off. He scored 58 fantasy points against the Thunder in Portland last February.
Center – Dewayne Dedmon – $3,600
Drummond is in a great spot tonight, but I’m really worried about a blowout in that game. If that doesn’t concern you, Drummond is the top play at center tonight. Howard has been playing well, but this is a tough matchup for him tonight. Monroe and Gortat are both in play for me tonight, but I’m going the savings route in this article.
Dedmon might be the hardest basketball player to actually watch, but he should have no problem hitting value in this matchup tonight. Vuc has already been ruled out, and Dedmon has played at least 20 minutes in back-to-back games now. It’s a great night to pay up in certain spots, and Dedmon could be a nice way of getting salary relief with 20+ points upside. Portland is allowing the eight most fantasy points to centers over the last three weeks, and they’ve been in the bottom ten almost all season.